📷 @NASA , @ESA , D Jewitt (University of California, LA), J Agarwal (Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research), H Weaver (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory), M Mutchler (STScI), S Larson (University of Arizona) 3/3.

One theory was that the asteroid’s rotation rate had increased to the point where dust fell off its surface and escaped into space, where it swept out into tails by the pressure of sunlight. 2/3. Read more:

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Our #HubbleTopImage flashes back to an asteroid and its curious comet-like tails! ☄️ P/2013 P5 was first imaged by Hubble on 10 September 2013. When imaged again 13 days later, it seemed as though the entire structure had swung around. 1/3

Read more here: 📷 @ESA / @Hubble_Space & @NASA , D. Calzetti, R. Chandar, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble).Acknowledgement: M. H. Özsaraç.🎶 Stellardrone - Endeavour 3/3.

These galaxies have few stars compared for the amount of gas and dark matter they carry. Thankfully, the sensitive instruments on the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope are up to the task of observing them! 2/3.

This galaxy is even fainter than the night sky! 🌃. NGC 45, which lies 22 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus (The Whale) 🐳⭐ is an example of a low surface brightness galaxy. 1/3

@NASA @esa This hints at a violent origin: the collision 💥 of a white dwarf with another star. The discovery suggests that these rare white dwarfs may be more common than previously suspected! 3/3.

In visible light, the spectrum of WD 0525+526’s atmosphere resembled that of a typical white dwarf – but Hubble’s ultraviolet spectrum revealed evidence of carbon in its atmosphere. Artist's impression: @NASA , @ESA , R. Crawford (STScI) 2/3.

White dwarfs more massive than the Sun are rare. One such ‘ultra-massive white dwarf’, WD 0525+526 lies just 128 light-years away, however, and was recently investigated using Hubble’s Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. 1/3.

🆕 Hubble has uncovered a white dwarf’s hidden history! . Read more: or in 🧵👇

@esa @NASA Since the first of these galaxies was discovered, researchers have found 30-60% of all galaxies may fall into this category. Studying them helps us understand how galaxies form and evolve – and Hubble is equal to the task! 5/5.

@esa @NASA Low surface brightness galaxies are fainter than the night sky! This is because they have relatively few stars ✨ for the amount of gas and dark matter they carry. 4/5.

@esa @NASA NGC 45 lies just 22 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus (The Whale). It is an example of a low surface brightness galaxy, making it a particularly interesting target for astronomers. 3/5.

📷 @ESA / @Hubble_Space & @NASA , D. Calzetti, R. Chandar.Acknowledgement: M. H. Özsaraç 2/5.

Our ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week zooms in on the feathery spiral arms of NGC 45 🪶 . Read more: or in 🧵👇 1/5

Creeping and crawling through the Tarantula Nebula! 🕷️⭐. Access more space-themed .gifs at our giphy page:

@NASA @esa Hubble's image is the sharpest picture of 3I/ATLAS so far. It has given astronomers new insights into the comet, including a more accurate estimate 📏 of the size of its icy nucleus: between 0.32 and 5.6 km in diameter. 3/3.

@NASA @esa Today, however, it is plunging towards the Sun at 210,000 km/h! Its breathtaking speed suggests it has been drifting for billions of years, accelerated by the gravitational slingshot effect of countless stars and nebulae. 2/3.

The origins of the comet 3I/ATLAS ☄️ are ancient and unknown – it launched from somewhere in the Milky Way long ago and far away. 📷@NASA , @ESA , D. Jewitt (UCLA), J. DePasquale (STScI) 1/3.

🆕 Hubble has caught an interstellar interloper — comet 3I/ATLAS! . Read more: or in 🧵👇